Dynamic City-Based Workflow Automation
About the Client
The client manages business processes across multiple locations, where workflow timelines can vary depending on the selected city or location.
As the number of locations and process variations increased, the client needed a more flexible way to manage these differences without creating separate workflow configurations for every location.
The requirement was to build a workflow that could automatically identify the selected location, retrieve the relevant configuration, and determine the required timeline based on that information.
Business Requirement
The client needed to automate workflow timelines based on information selected by users during form submission.
The required timeline could vary depending on the selected location. For each location, a different value might need to be used in the workflow calculation.
Managing these variations through separate configurations for every possible location could make the workflow difficult to maintain. Any change in a location’s timeline would also require changes to the corresponding workflow configuration.
The client therefore needed a solution where location-specific values could be maintained centrally and automatically used by the workflow when required.
The goal was to create a dynamic workflow that could calculate the required timeline based on the user’s selection, rather than relying on individually configured workflows for every location.
The Challenge
The main challenge was managing different workflow timelines while keeping the overall process simple and maintainable.
In a fixed workflow, each location could require its own condition or configuration. As more locations were added, this could result in an increasing number of configurations within the workflow.
This could create several difficulties:
- More manual configuration would be required.
- Changes to timeline values could require workflow modifications.
- Adding new locations could make the workflow more complicated.
- Maintaining multiple location-specific conditions could become time-consuming.
- The workflow would become less flexible as the number of locations increased.
The client needed a way to separate location-specific configuration data from the core workflow logic.
This would allow the workflow to use the appropriate value when required without having to redesign the workflow for every individual location.
Solution
The platform was configured to support a dynamic, data-driven workflow.
The location selected by the user was connected to centrally maintained configuration data. Based on the user’s selection, the system automatically identified and retrieved the relevant configuration value.
The retrieved value was then used as an input for the configured calculation logic.
Once the calculation was completed, the resulting value was automatically passed to the relevant workflow step. This allowed the workflow timeline to be determined dynamically at runtime.
Instead of creating separate configurations for every location, the same workflow could handle different locations by using the corresponding data from the central configuration.
This made the workflow more flexible while reducing the amount of manual configuration required.
How the Dynamic Workflow Works
The complete process can be explained in a few simple steps.
1. User Selects a Location
The process starts when the user submits a form and selects a location from the available dropdown options.
The selected location becomes the input for the next stage of the workflow.
2. System Identifies the Configuration
The system checks the centrally maintained configuration data and identifies the value associated with the selected location.
This means the workflow does not need to contain every location-specific value directly.
3. Relevant Value Is Retrieved
Once the selected location is identified, the corresponding configuration value is automatically retrieved.
This value can represent the information required for calculating the workflow timeline.
4. Calculation Logic Is Applied
The retrieved value is processed through the configured calculation logic.
The system uses this information to determine the appropriate timeline for the workflow.
5. Timeline Is Updated Automatically
The calculated value is then passed to the relevant workflow step.
The workflow timeline is automatically updated based on the user’s original location selection.
The entire process happens through the configured workflow, without requiring manual timeline calculation for each submission.
Example
Consider a process where the workflow timeline depends on the selected location.
| User Selection | Resulting Workflow Timeline |
| Location A | Dynamically calculated |
| Location B | Dynamically calculated |
| Location C | Dynamically calculated |
Although the required timeline may be different for each location, the workflow structure remains the same.
The system simply retrieves the appropriate configuration value and uses it to calculate the required timeline.
This allows the same workflow to handle multiple locations without creating a separate workflow for each one.
Centralized Configuration Management
A key part of the solution is the use of centrally maintained configuration data.
Instead of storing every location-specific value directly inside the workflow, the values can be maintained in a central configuration.
This makes it easier to manage changes.
For example, if the timeline associated with a particular location changes, the relevant configuration value can be updated without redesigning the complete workflow.
Similarly, when a new location is added, its required configuration can be added to the existing setup.
The workflow can then use the new information through the same dynamic process.
This approach keeps the workflow logic and configuration data separate, making the overall setup easier to manage.
Reducing Hardcoded Workflow Conditions
One of the important improvements in this implementation was reducing the dependency on individually configured scenarios.
A workflow that contains separate conditions for every location can become difficult to manage as the number of locations increases.
With the dynamic approach, the workflow follows the same basic process:
User Selection → Configuration Lookup → Value Retrieval → Calculation → Workflow Timeline
The location-specific information is handled through the configuration data rather than requiring a completely separate workflow path for each location.
This provides a cleaner and more flexible way to manage location-based workflow requirements.
Business Impact
The implementation helped the client create a more flexible workflow for handling location-based timeline requirements.
The key benefits included:
Dynamic Workflow Timelines
The workflow can automatically determine the required timeline based on the location selected by the user.
Centralized Configuration
Location-specific values can be maintained centrally instead of being repeatedly configured inside the workflow.
Reduced Manual Configuration
The need to create or maintain separate configurations for every location is reduced.
Easier Updates
Changes to location-specific values can be managed through the underlying configuration without redesigning the entire workflow.
Greater Flexibility
New locations or changes in existing location requirements can be accommodated more easily.
Consistent Processing
The same workflow logic is used across different locations, helping maintain a consistent and automated process.
Scalability for Additional Locations
The solution also provides a more practical approach when the number of locations increases.
With a traditional setup, adding a new location could require additional conditions or workflow configurations.
With the dynamic setup, the relevant configuration can be added to the centralized data, allowing the existing workflow logic to use the new value.
This makes the solution better suited for businesses where locations, timelines, or other configuration values may change over time.
The workflow does not need to be rebuilt every time a new location is introduced.
Outcome
The implementation enabled the client to move from a fixed, location-specific approach to a dynamic and data-driven workflow process.
The system can now use the user’s location selection to identify the relevant configuration, process the required calculation, and automatically determine the workflow timeline.
This reduced the need for repetitive workflow configuration and made it easier to manage location-specific requirements from a centralized setup.
The client achieved:
- Dynamic workflow timelines based on user selections
- Centralized configuration management
- Reduced manual configuration
- Easier modification of location-specific values
- Greater flexibility for adding new locations
- Consistent and automated workflow processing
- A more scalable approach to managing changing requirements
Conclusion
This case demonstrates how configurable workflow and calculation capabilities can be combined to create flexible, data-driven business processes.
Instead of hardcoding individual scenarios or creating separate workflow configurations for every location, the system uses centralized configuration data to determine the appropriate value dynamically.
This approach makes the workflow easier to manage, easier to update, and more flexible as business requirements change.
For businesses managing processes across multiple locations, similar logic can also be applied to other dynamic requirements such as department, service type, category, priority, or other user-selected parameters.
By connecting business rules with configurable data, workflows can automatically adapt to different scenarios while keeping the underlying process simple and consistent.
